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Strangling fear threatened to close around her throat as she scrabbled at the wall, trying to find the computronics panel She was sure she’d seen it earlier today God, she had to find it The dark, it was closing around her Suffoca -

"Talin, breathe"

She spun around, gasped at the sight of hireen-silver that was completely cat "You can see in the dark!"

"Of course I can" He said it like it was thein the world "Panel’s five inches to your left Middle pad"

She tried to pretend calht poured out fro fixture "You don’t have voice activation"

He grunted "Does this look like a palace?" A pause "I’ll get one of the techs to put it in toet it done" His tone told her he was just itching for a fight

She decided for grace instead "Thank you"

A dark scowl as he began to unbutton his shirt

Her barely steady heartbeat took another jagged leap "What are you doing?"

"Not attacking you" He turned to throw the shirt on one of the large cushions that acted as his sofas "I’rate when I shift"

"Oh" She couldn’t take her eyes off the shifting , but nownow he could break her like a twig And yet even as she thought that, she couldn’t get past his beauty Her fingertips tingled, her thighs clenched She wanted to reach out and trace that tattoo high on his left shoulder, wanted to taste -

"Scat" His hands went to the snap of his jeans

She ju for a completely new reason "We need to talk"

"You need to sleep" He stalked toward her, revealing a chest thick withskin, arrowing down in a viscerally er bright

Her jaw dropped "You’re still mad at me God, you’re stubborn!"

"I’, he kicked off his shoes and began to undo his jeans "I’ Leave unless you want a peep show"

She could feel her cheeks flaht this second"

"Good The feeling’s mutual" He went as if to push down the jeans

She ran to the ladder, able to feel his e part of her wanted to watch hiht as his for face-to-face with a leopard But another part of her was frustrated enough to screaed in at least one crucial respect He had seldom exploded in open fury, but man, could he brood!

"What if someone comes?" she asked, once she was safe on the second level

"No one will" His tone dared her to question him

"But what if - "